Cincinnati Ballet’s Academy Launches Professional Training Division

August 23, 2017

Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M. Budig Academy launched a new initiative entitled the Professional Training Division (PTD) on Monday, August 7, 2017. The 38-week program, led by the Academy Director of Training and former Cincinnati Ballet Principal, Sarah Hairston, is designed to support the transition from ballet student to professional dancer. It focuses on developing each student’s professional aptitude through immersion in a course of study aligned with the artistic standards of Cincinnati Ballet’s professional Company, while also providing participants with professional performance opportunities.

Acceptance in the Professional Training Division is by invitation only, with selection by Academy leadership in partnership with Cincinnati Ballet’s Artistic Director, Victoria Morgan. Participants come from all over the country, and may be selected through the Academy’s Main Division program, Cincinnati Ballet’s Summer Intensive, and/or the Otto M. Budig Academy’s national audition tour.

“I could not be more proud of the incredibly talented dancers we have here with us in this new program,” says Sarah Hairston. This program has been a dream for our Academy for a long time and it has finally come to fruition. I am excited to watch these dancers transition from students to professionals with the support of our faculty. These are exciting times for the Academy! ”

PTD dancers engage in 27 hours of training each week through classes and rehearsals that mirror the professional Company’s schedule. The curriculum is designed to support the versatility required by the ever-expanding repertoire of ballet companies throughout the world, and will focus specifically on Cincinnati Ballet’s repertoire.

Participants take daily classes in technique, pointe, and variations, as well as weekly classes in conditioning, modern, contemporary, men’s class, pas de deux, and choreography. Regular classes are supplemented by lectures, seminars, and experiences designed to further integrate students in topics essential to professional success, such as nutrition, injury prevention, career planning, and more.

PTD participants will also have the opportunity to perform in select Cincinnati Ballet productions alongside the professional Company and the Second Company. They will be featured in Cincinnati Ballet’s Family Series, the Academy’s Spring Production, in-studio showcases, and Cincinnati Ballet’s educational outreach programs.

The new Division launches as Cincinnati Ballet unveils plans to implement a number of exciting initiatives in the 2017-2018 Season as part of a long-term strategy for sustained growth and advancement. In addition to the new Professional Training Division, the “new” Cincinnati Ballet also encompasses an eye-catching, refreshed logo and brand identity for the Company, the Company’s return to Music Hall for three productions, the introduction of a brand new Family Series, and a groundbreaking partnership with Ballet West on a co-presentation of a World Premiere production.